Xmas and Boxing Day 26 DEC 2008

So wondering how i spent my Adelaide Xmas and how's xmas like in Adelaide city?
Well, i can tell u tat, it's nthg special at all, just me and myself, hahhaa. Sounds pretty sad?
Nope, dun need to kolien me :)

This is roughly what Adelaide city Xmas looks like.....

Rundle mall

State library

Adelaide Council lantern display with Xmas tree!!! Really sthg different!!!

Victoria Square Xmas tree

At National Wine center for SA pathology xmas party





Varities of wine for drink :)

With Sam,Dan, Andrew,Phil and Tash :)

Big wine cellar of national wine center

Big carolling at elder park: carol by candlenight :)

Fireworks display at the end of the carolling from afar

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However, i did experienced something different the next day....which is BOXING day....Frankly, i have never heard of BOXING day before, it sounded to me as if the adelaide people celebrate something on real boxing.....but y?? Boxing after xmas?? isn't it weird!!! I knew it's not meant real boxing (fight with the fists) after i asked my colleagues. Haha, i just realized how naive am i about other world festivals/celebrations.

So what is boxing day??

Accoding to wikipedia,

Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts (a "Christmas box") to the less fortunate members of society. In many countries Boxing Day is a "shopping holiday" associated with post-Christmas sales and early starts to 'January sales'.

Woke Up vyvy early to catch 7.25Am train to Noarlunga centre to meet my co coz he's gona fetch me from there.

Train terminal

13mins to the departure of the train to Noarlunga centre

Train scene of brighton and hallet cove coastal line.

Phil's stepfather on the bbq set....

Phil's daughter, berthney. She is just hyper active when she's awake, haha.

the backyard of Phil's mother house

A pray b4 lunch

Phil's mother and step father prepared all the food and Phil's father brought in some fruits and cakes :)

Their big feast are made of sausages,breads, potatoes, chicken chops.....etc if you wana make it simple.

The xmas tree, the presents under the tree are real ones :)

Berries, fat juicy Grade A , probably the best

Xmas Cookies

Xmas crackers, i saw these stuff but duno what is it for until i actually have a play with it!! really sthg NEW to me, haha. U have to pull to ends, and "POP", there u go, the sound of a cracker, haha. It contains a toy, a xmas hat and a wishing message :)

Forgot wat tis is cal, haha.

Present giving and opening time, it's their western culture to give away presents when everyone is around and to open the presents once you got it. Unlike eastern culture, usually people hope to see you expression when you open up the present and hope to hear that you like it :)

Berthney, in a cool pose, wahahha.

This is julia, Phil's stepsister 's daughter...she looks pretty at this age..haha.

Guessed wat?? I have a present from Phil and Belinda as well, it's the famous South Australia Haigh's chocs, this when i first tasted the famous choc :), Thx Phil!

Licorices, sthg like marshmellow bit and chewy....1st time tasted it :)

And we had cakes for desserts as well, there is this traditional lemon cake....i cant tahan the taste tat's so weird and sour like, that i just cant finish it up. The other cakes taste great :)

We have some cards (funny m&m cards bought from Los Angeles by Phil) to wait for digestion of all the foods...wahaha, learned a new card game, though i forgot it now....haha. Yeah, a whole new experience for me.....1st time XMAS in a foreign country, though i owez hoped for a white xmas, but nevertheless, a summer XMAS is as gud :)

A BIG THX to PHIL :)

Go Green......in SA, a gud goverment measure to learn from :)

In support of go GREEN...

One of the shocking occasion (culture shock??, hahaha) that i encountered in Adelaide when i arrived here whenever i'm on the street, malls, supermarkets, and Central market district is you see alot of GREENS....

Guessed wat!!!

Nope, not the green trees that were planted around the streets and city,
Not the green parks surrounding the city...

It's the GREEN BAGS that more and more people in Adelaide are carrying in their hands wherever they go shopping for groceries or in supermarkets!!!

I was overwhelmed by how many people are doing this!!! Old and young carry a GREEN BAG, or something similar or a trolley they bought. It's just NOT those light weight plastic bags anymore!!!! How civilized are these people and caring to their environment!!!

Saw all the bags especially those GREEN ones??

Seriouslly i have NEVER seen such an occasion in Malaysia or Singapore. I'm pretty sure if i'm in Malaysia now, everywhere is plastic bags....it's like the more the better!!! ???

This GO GREEN stuff is a campaign launched by south australia goverment since last year and it has been slowly implementing to make sure the citizens has time to change, the retailers get the right information and make changes to their packaging method. The obvious difference between the SA goverment and Msia gov is THE SERIOUSNESS in carrying out the campaign and making sure everyone comply to it. In many places, you'll see poster on going green especially in places where people buy things which usually are pack in plastics bags: supermarkets and central market. How efficient they are!!! There's even a website on the campaign to make sure everyone get the information http://www.byobags.com.au/Home.mvc
and in newspapers advertisement. Although there have been controversies on this ban of light weight plastics bags, but still quite many support and applaud.

This inforamtion poster is found in petrol station cashier post.

Information for shoppers (from http://www.byobags.com.au/Home.mvc)
South Australia’s plastic bag ban is now on the way and the State Government is helping shoppers to make the change. South Australians accept the need to stop using lightweight, check-out style plastic bags and consider that once they have been banned, everyone will quickly adapt.
An advertising campaign based on the theme ‘BYO Bags’ is running between December and mid May to remind you to bring reusable bags when you shop, and to be patient with retail workers, especially during the change. Expect to see reminder signs outdoors near shopping centres and retail strips and inside stores on counters, cash registers windows and doors. There will be reminders in newspapers and on radio, and watch out for the animated reusable bags which feature in our TV commercial.





Information for retailers:
The critical dates for retailers are:
From 1 January 2009, lightweight, checkout-style plastic bags will be phased out.
From 4 May 2009, retailer will be banned from supplying these bags.
Prepare for the ban by starting now: by ordering alternatives, having signage in place and training your staff. A major advertising campaign will inform the community about the change. It will include TV, Radio, newspaper ads and outdoor signs near shopping centres to spread the message about the ban and remind shoppers to ‘BYO’ their reusable shopping bags

More comments on http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/south-australia-bans-plastic-checkout-bags.php

Another OBVIOUS DIFFERENCE is.....how CIVILIZED and ENVIRONMENT CONSCIOUSS are the people in SA. Obviously, the campaign wouldn't work out so well even if the citizens don't cooperate.

Honestly, i found that using a byobag which is actually a linen bag is really convenient for anyone, you can fold it and just place it in your bag or handbag, just use it when you are shopping. In addition, it's flexibility is much more than normal light weight plastic bag, and tear-proof!!!

Even best....i JUST LIKE WOOLWORTHS supermarket...everyone is GREEN-minded, it's employee. There's a rule now that 3 items and below, no plastic bags for u. And everytime u pay, the cashier would ask you first, " do you have a bag or sthg?" and if you do, the cashier would reply you " oh, you are a legend, oh GOOD, oh great....that's gud...etc" to thank you with a broad smile. How good if these were to happen in Malaysia!!!! And if you don't have one, some will even ask you, " do you want to buy a bag for just 99cent?" and remind you to bring urs if you actually have one but didn't bring it.

The supermaket even sell this linen bag at just 99cent for one!!! or 1.98$ for three!! to encourage one to use it!!!

I gussed despite great efforts in Malaysia by certain clubs or organization, none will ever reach such cooperativity found here.

Even IMVS, the institute i carry out my research GOES GREEN!!!!... How amazing!! this is no supermarkets or wat, it's a pathology institute for diagnosis and research, yet it's amazing to even find that research institute also join along!!!

My own byobag....hehe.

It's the mind that control !!!